172 



THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



The celebrated bee case, which excited s(>mnch 

 interest in Arkadeliihiii, last summer, was decid- 

 ed yesterday in tlie Circuit Court, Jndg'e Hearn 

 presidinjj. The case was tlie City vs. Z. A. Clark, 

 for violating a city ordinance, declaring the keep- 

 ing of bees, witliin tlie city limits, a nuisance. 

 Mr. Clark resisted the ordinance upon the 

 grounds of i terCering with a natural right. 

 Judge Hearn held that the ordinance was void be- 

 cause it declared tlie keeping of liees a nuisance 

 per se, which tlie law does not recognize. Con- 

 sideralile interest is manifested in the case, the 

 National Beekeepers' Union of Clii('.ago.l)eing the 

 backers of Jlr. Clark. The city has appealed to 

 the Supreme Court. 



It is not only tlie priviUrje of apiari.sts 

 to belong to such a " Union" for defence 

 — but it is a high honor. Like the Royal 

 Huzzars of history, the Union lias never 

 yet been beaten ! Victory has perclied up- 

 on its banner in every contest so far un- 

 dertaken ill the defence of tlie rights of 

 its members! Tliis is, of course, attribu- 

 table to the care exercised in canvassing 

 the cases before deciding to ilefeiid them; 

 to make sure that they are right before 

 going ahead with them ! For if not right, 

 it would be better to be beaten than to be 

 victorious. 



Mr. Chirk writes the following state- 

 ment of the case, which will be read with 

 interest : 



Arkadelphia, Ark., Aug. 7, 188S. 



Friend Newman:— I received your telegram 

 yesterday evening, in answer to the one I sent 

 you, asking me to send lull particulars. I have 

 been feeling so elated, being congratulated by 

 friends so luucli— (since the burial of the "nui- 

 sance case") that I hardly feel able to write. Ev- 

 erybody in our little city, white and black, is 

 rejoicing but the antibee councils and their fol- 

 lowers. 



The case came up on Saturday, Aug. 4, when 

 the city attorney began to show weakness by try- 

 ing to turn us out of court, on amotion to dismiss 

 all the cases against me, on the inforniiility of my 

 bonds, stating tliat my bond was not sufficient, 

 but .Judge Hearn overruled tlie motion. 



When my attorneys. Judges S. \V. Williams, 

 Witherspoon, Murray and McMillan made a mo- 

 tion to dismiss the cases against me upon the 

 voidness of the ordinance, Judge Williams made 

 an able speecli in defence of beekeepers, in whicli 

 he sliowed that he knew sometliing about bees 

 himself, having been an old beehunterin tlio ear- 

 ly settlement of Arkansas. After whicli, thejudge 

 stated to tlie attorneys that he had lived a long 

 time in Arkadelpliia,' tliat bees had been kept 

 liere all the lime, and tliat the keeping of bees 

 per .se was not a nuisance. He reserved his de- 

 cision until Monday morning at nine o'clock, 

 when lie stated tliat the case would go to tlie Su- 

 preme Court, no matter in which way it was <1e- 

 cided, but stated he wanted to be found on the 

 right side, when decided in the Supreme Court. 

 He tlien sustained our motion to dismiss llie case 

 and declared tlie ordinance void. The city attor- 

 ney then gave notice of an appeal. Hence, we 

 go up liigher amid the cry of " victory" and 

 "hallelujahs." 



This sliows wliat brothers can do when banded 

 together, with a captain likcTliomas G. Newman, 

 to direct our battles against ignoraiuie and tlio 

 prejudicial whims of an ignorant populace. 



Z. A. Cl^AKlv. 



Reader, did you ever think what a 



power there is in an organized defence? 

 and what a powerful defence it is, when 

 the members of the pursuit combine and 

 engage the best legal talent which can be 

 had — and plenty of it — and planting their 

 feet squarely upon the constitution of 

 freemen — in this " Land of the Free and 

 Home of the Brave" — they demand the 

 rights guaranteed to every " honest son 

 of toil" by that magna charla of Americaa 

 liberty and independence — the Constitu- 

 tion of the United States ? 



Thos. G. Newman. 



General Manager. 



Questions and Answers. 



Social Island Mills, Pa. 



Mr. Alley: Thetrnps came to hand in good 

 condition. I don't think I could get along with- 

 out them. Some persons complain of their bees 

 going to the woods, but I have lost none. 



Please find enclosed specimen of a plant that 

 grows very plentifully here on poor and almost 

 l)arren land, and is a great favorite of tlie bees. 

 They will pass by white clover for this plant. I 

 should like to know what it is. 



J. M. Shoemaker. 



answer by professor cook. 

 The plant you send is Echiumrulgare or Viper's 

 Bugloss. It belongs to the Borage Family and i8 

 a very excellent honey plant. It is called Blue 

 Thistle in Maryland though this is a very inap- 

 propriate name. The flowers are arranged in a 

 long narrow raceme, are deep blue, and very 

 handsome. No, it is not at all like Rocky Moun- 

 tain bee plant, either in color or habit of leaf, stem 

 or flower. 



Hnhbardston, Mass. 

 Mr. Alley : The sample copy of the 

 ApicuLTURisT received. Will you please 

 answer the following questions : 



1. How much space do you allow under 

 the bottom of the frames in winter? 



2. What sort of winter passages do j'ou 

 make, and what do you cover the frames 

 with in winter? 



3. When should bees be fed for winter 

 stores? Also how many frames do you use 

 in winter? 



4. IIovv much sugar does it require to 

 winter a colony of bees? 



5. Should tlie snow be kept away from 

 entrance of the hive if there is plenty of 

 ventilation through the section at the 

 top? 



answkus by henry alley. 

 1. About three-eighths of an inch in 

 summer and one inch in winter. Any 

 where? from one inch to six inches of space 

 in winter is an advantage. 



